Reaping With Riley
by XxAngelFangsxX
Summary: Orig characters living in a pseudo Dead Like Me world. Random humor and romance...should be interesting


AN - This started as a short story for a creative writting class and expanded into something more...Its ongoing still, no real plot in mind even if one might seem to pop up once and awhile. The characters are all orginial but the idea is very much taken from Dead Like me the show (very awesome show)...

Warnings - Crude language, Bisexual and heterosexual characters/relationships, since it is a story about reapers there are minor character deaths, not graphically explained tho (no carnage), and a major place in the storyis a bar so there is drinking and druken sillyness. Thats all I can think of right now.

Reaping With Riley

Episode Three

They were so beautiful. The vital couple sat at a small table on the patio of the café to drink flavored coffees while they laughed and talked. Caught in the present savoring the moment they had captured on the hot summer afternoon. The young man smiled as the girl knocked her coffee cup over trying to convey a story with her hands. Brown eyes warmed as he watched her blush and try to blot at the spill with her thin napkin. Given up trying to absorb the dark liquid with useless paper she sighed and ran her hand through wheat blonde hair and bit her full bottom lip.

I sat a table across from them and watched memorized by the innocence displayed in their actions. I found myself envious of their ability to sit peacefully with no care in the world, oblivious to what fate had in store.

Lost in thought I nearly missed the waitress refill my tea and managed a quiet thanks before she went off back into the interior of the café. Focusing again on the couple I sipped from my fresh cup. The heat of it seared my tongue and brought my attention back to more important matters. I glanced at my watch. It was time.

I placed a tip on the table and walked towards the couple. As I passed the blonde haired girl I ran my hand gently across the bare skin of her back. My fingers tingled with energy as they absorbed the warmth. I kept walking but glanced back to catch the puzzled look in her cornflower blue eyes. It was interesting to feel the fierce pull within me to run to her, to lose myself in the soft feel and sweet taste of her. I wanted to protect her, to wrap myself around her as a shield against the fates and yet my body remained locked in place as I stared into lost eyes.

Her gaze stayed with me as the screech of tires tainted the air. Even as the small green Mazda swerved into the patio and sent empty tables and chairs in every direction. Time slowed, stuck in a haze, as the car's momentum carried it directly towards the young girl. It hit her chair creating a sickening, whip-like crack of sound. The force of the impact sent her limp body soaring through the air, only to be slammed into the concrete wall of the café.

Time picked back up again to the sound of the terrified man's scream. I did not have the stomach to watch as his world crumbled before him so I turned and continued to walk away. It took a moment before a tap on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to face the girl with the long wheat hair and large blue eyes.

"What's going on? Why did you just watch while that car hit me?" Her questions amused me. She was bright, not only for her age but because usually at this point they would be hysterical and sobbing.

"Can't change fate, I'm not that special," I replied. The wail of sirens steadily became louder yet still not enough to overpower the sobs of the grief stricken man who knelt beside the girl's discarded and broken body. "I don't suppose he's going to get over this anytime soon?"

She smiled as she looked back at her former boyfriend. "He loves me. Funny, I didn't completely believe that until now. Don't judge him by this; he's a sweet guy. He's strong too, he'll get through it, eventually." She turned back to me face bright with the release of any worries life had given her. I never understood when they got all peaceful on me. I hadn't been peaceful when it had happened to me, I had been pissed and I still felt that way.

"Yea…that's great and all but I need to tell you…" I was cut off when she giggled and started to run. "Dammit…what the hell are you doing?" I shouted as I sprinted after her bouncing figure.

"It's so wonderful, have you ever seen anything so amazing?" Her voice was full of awe as she stopped to twirl in the bright white-blue light. As she began to fade she grinned and mouthed 'thanks'. I watched envious of her yet again as she vanished with the light to a place denied to me.

"I don't think I've ever seen one move on quite that quick before, she must have been something," Tsume's smooth voice commented from my right.

"She was," I replied. "But I wonder if she would have been so excited if we told her she had to become one of us."

"Oh come off it Riley, it's not all that bad." He raised an eyebrow at my gloom filled expression. "Seriously Rie, even you have to admit it isn't that horrible…were doing a generally valuable service after all."

"I know but it just gets to me when they have to be so damn happy about it…When will we get our chance to be happy? I mean don't you ever wish that you could go with them?" I asked despite having the knowledge of his answer.

"It's not our time yet, I can accept that," he answered. He ran his hand through my wavy mocha hair before adding cheerfully, "and you can too after we get a few drinks in ya, c'mon."

Nearly a gallon of hard liquor disguised as colorful slushies later I found myself sprawled in the tub of my bathroom. After rescuing myself from suffocation by hair I struggled to prop myself up and rubbed the sleep from my gray eyes. I pried my tongue from the roof of my mouth and grimaced when I caught whiff of the oh, so sexy after-sleep-and-alcohol breath.

A muffled groan caught my attention and I peered out over the rim of the tub. Tsume's tall, lean body was planted face first in the ruby colored rug that circled the toilet. His choppy sable hair clung to his sweat soaked face. I narrowed my eyes at his backside. I tried to contemplate what would be appropriate punishment for being the cause of the hangover that banged in my head and clawed at my eyes.

"Tsume! Wake up." I settled for just being unpleasant, I was too exhausted to do much of anything else.

"No more evil pink drinks please…leave it at the door," he mumbled incoherently. Energy found I exited the tub to kick him in the side. I was pleased to hear him grunt in response. He rolled over to narrow bloodshot green eyes up at me. The look was hardly menacing, in fact the green and red only reminded me of Christmas, but that didn't stop him from growling. "Evil Riley, evil."

"Not evil just mean and experiencing a wicked hangover. Now get up. I need to wash up, I have an appointment in…" I looked down to check the time on my watch. "Two hours! Damn…move it buddy I need to hurry."

It took close to an hour before we were both ready to leave the apartment. The air was humid and thick with acrid smells of the over inhabited city. We hastened our way through the crowded streets unnoticed. Inpatient Tsume reached into my pocket to snatch out the folded piece of paper with my list on it.

"21 Jump St. Apt.3…you've gotta be shitting me," he laughed.

"Yea that's what I said. Pity the name isn't Tom Hanson, that would have been great."

"Name…Cooper I, Is that like Cooper the first or his last name starts with an 'I'?"

"Last name…jeez can't you read?"

"Not your handwriting…where did you learn to write?" He teased as we turned the corner.

Annoyed I grabbed my list and stuffed it back into my pocket. The movement took my attention away from where I was walking long enough for me to plow straight into a hard surface. Startled, I lost my footing and yelped as my ass introduced itself to the sidewalk. Embarrassed my vision drifted its way up to the face of the person I had collided with. It was a face I knew well.

"Cooper." The named whispered past my lips before I could stop it.

"Do I know you?" He smiled uneasily down at me with confusion. I felt relief when he didn't recognize me, though I suppose not being in the same body he had known was the reason for that.

"No," I replied. To cover my blunder Tsume stepped forward and offered his hand to Cooper. They shook hands in a quick un-welcomed gesture, while I was left to scrape my sore body up off the ground and grumble about the lack of decent men in the world.

"Sorry about that, Riley here has the grace of a cow. We'd be happy to buy you a drink at the pub or something to apologize."

I might have taken this as a chance to kick Tsume again but he happened to be right about my lack of feminine grace, even if it hadn't been my fault, that and I was entirely stunned at being in the presence of a person from my time among the living. It was strictly forbidden to see people you had known and yet double-checking the list his name was there.

Cooper laughed, caught off guard by Tsume's quirky insult and polite offer. "Don't worry about it." He looked at me, eyes curious before he blurted, "My apartment is right here, if you want you're welcome to come up and have a drink."

"Uh, sure that'd be great, thanks…" Tsume paused pretending not to know what name to call the man.

"Cooper."

"Nice to meet you Cooper, I'm Tsume and this is my partner Riley."

I stood by and watched as Tsume steam rolled his way through the conversation and got us into Cooper's apartment. While they conversed I kept thinking none of this was necessary and yet curiosity had me taking a moment to peak around the bare apartment. It looked like a movie version of a frat house. There was a medium sized black pleather couch that had jagged rips through the one cushion that remained. The walls were white with enough stains to resemble an abstract painting. Then my favorite, an entertainment system worth more than the apartment itself, which was impressive considering the rent in this neighborhood was around that of purchasing a new turbo jet. It was easy to see where his priorities lay.

Having known Cooper back when I was alive I wasn't surprised at the crap hole he had landed himself in. We had dated in high school and broke up in less than a month when he felt too trapped in the relationship and wasn't ready for a girlfriend. Turned out I was and Cooper had ended up being my last stop on the straight bus. Two years later I heard through a mutual friend that he was still single and trying to become a professional wrestler. Glad to see that went well.

The memory of the pain and anger I had felt back when he had so carelessly thrown me away began to creep its way to the surface. I was excited at the prospect of reaping the soul of the bastard that had dumped me back when I had been too fragile to deal with it. All right so it was a tad melodramatic, and yea I would have ended up breaking up with him sooner or later, but it wasn't like I was the one that wanted him dead, that wasn't even my job. I just had to take the soul before the body died and instruct it to well…. follow the light. That didn't mean I couldn't play with him for a while before he realized he had to move on. Besides, him being on my list in the first place was a one in a million chance screw up from the higher up's…I had to take advantage of those odds right?

I tried to keep the smirk off my face as I turned to rejoin the men standing in the kitchenette. Unlike the living room this area still had clean walls which was mind boggling seeing how everything else was dumpster worthy. I wouldn't have been shocked to see a cockroach crawl out from behind a food-splattered appliance and break into song. The dishes had filled the sink long ago and now cluttered along the counter joined by, what I hoped were empty, take out restaurant containers that ranged from the common pizza box to Styrofoam bowls from the local Thai place. Cooper handed me a glass that appeared to be some type of punch in a glass that I couldn't decide was meant to have clouds painted on it or not. I sat at the counter and discreetly scratched my thumbnail against the cloudy glass. I gagged when I noticed the white gunk under my nail. I set the glass down harder than I had meant to and it clanked against the tile.

"So you said you guys were partners?" Cooper asked ignoring my issues with the punch. I kept my eyes on Tsume, let him answer he loved the spotlight anyway.

"Well not partners exactly. Rie and myself play together in a band." Tsume grinned proud at himself for coming up with such an imaginative lie. I just rolled my eyes, which caused my head to ache in protest. No more evil pink drinks for me.

"A band? Cool what type of music you play?"

"Mostly an eclectic mix of jazz and blues with the occasional addition of deep bass lines…I play sax, Riley's vocals…voice of an angel this one." Tsume gestured towards me. Surprise sent my eyebrows close to my hairline. Angel? Anyone who had heard me sing in the shower knew that my vocal ability was around that of a croaking frog.

My left eye began to twitch and I found myself curling my fist in effort to keep it from connecting with Tsume's smirking face.

"Yeah I buy that, you look like a singer," Cooper commented. I looked at him dumbfounded and Tsume only chuckled behind his hand. "Maybe I could catch you play sometime?"

"Uh yea, soon as we get a gig set we'll be sure to call you and give you a head's up."

"Great…um, so what is the name of your band by the way?"

"Soul Harvest."

I had entered the freaking twilight zone. This had quickly become a situation too weird for even me to comprehend. I sighed too confused to keep up with the conversation and seriously considered stabbing them both with one of the rusty spoons lying around the kitchen. My fantasy was called to a halt when I caught the time on the microwave clock and realized we had only minutes to spare.

"Look I'm sorry again about trying to walk through you, but we really need to go. Practice with the band and all…thanks for the punch though." I tried to be polite so he would accept my handshake. As he slid his hand in mine I felt the energy being pulled from his body into my hand. I had to force myself not to wipe my hand on my jeans, souls might be pure but Cooper's hand sure as hell wasn't.

"Yea no problem. Um, I'm having a barbeque later today…I should probably go light the coals now too…anyway you both should stop by there won't be many people here just some college pals of mine."

"Sounds good…if we have time we'll try and make an appearance."

Cooper showed us to the door. Tsume stepped out before me but I was stopped by the gentle pull of Cooper's hand on my arm. I turned angry that he had touched me only to find his face held an almost soft expression.

"You're sure we haven't met before?"

"Positive, why?" I asked nervous for the answer.

"It's nothing I guess, its just you remind me of someone… strange I can't remember who."

"Must not have been particularly important then," I snapped.

"I suppose not…anyway I hope to see you guys later."

I was more than relieved to be out of his dreadful roach motel. I strolled over to Tsume and sat next to him on the curb across the street from the apartment.

"Soul Harvest?" I inquired. It was nice to see Tsume be the one embarrassed for once.

"Well uh, I don't know it wasn't like you were going to suggest anything and it sounded better than The Reapers." Tsume blushed as I snorted at his attempt to be creative. With only three minutes to go and no sign of a possibility I turned to Tsume only to have him answer before I stated a question.

"Gas leak. Whole house reeked of it…he must have a terrible sense of smell just like you."

Evening knowing what would happen didn't stop my body from flinching as the apartment I been standing in minutes before exploded in a hail of debris and fire. The force of the blast sent us slamming into the iron fence behind us and the loud bang left a constant ring in my ears. The explosion had set off nearly every car alarm in a three-block radius and had the closest neighbors scrambling out of their homes to watch the fire.

"Well fuck," Tsume said with admiration. "They're never boring are they?"

I didn't have a reply to that; even if I had I wouldn't have wasted my breath. I stood to brush off dirt and dig out a few pieces of debris that had wedged into my flesh. When I flicked away what looked to be a piece of a remote control I noticed we weren't alone. Cooper stood in front of what used to be his apartment and stared slack jawed at the roaring inferno.

We walked over to him. Some hidden evil female instinct had my hand moving against my will to his back in effort to soothe. I didn't like this guy, in fact it was safe to say I hated this jerk, but after seeing him get blown up I felt my anger towards him dwindling. Damn.

"Cooper." I kept my tone soft not wanting to freak him out, he looked to be in some sort of shock-induced trance, death by explosion could do that to people. He turned slowly to my voice.

"My place is on fire."

"Actually man your apartment is gone…it blew up something wonderful, damn what I wouldn't do to have some marshmallows right now," Tsume informed us as he watched the fire with something close to glee in his eyes. We turned to stare at him, me with a mix of amusement and disbelief, Cooper with who knew what. At least he seemed to be responding now, that had to be a good sign.

"I'm dead aren't I?"

I nodded. He lowered his head as if contemplating what to do, and I guess he was. I found myself giving him the time he needed to accept his death and wondering why I didn't feel the need to mess with him anymore. It seemed like forever before he looked back up at my face. "I was right…I know you."

I stiffened at the words. How the hell could he recognize me? He barely noticed me back when we dated and now he decides to notice my soul inhabiting another body?

"High school, senior year. You're _that_ Riley? Wow…you must have been crazy obsessed with me to wait all this time to kill me just because we broke up."

"What? You dumped me! And that's not what happened here, you stupid asshole, I didn't kill your useless hide. I reaped your arrogant soul…but if you prefer I could easily put it back in your body, that is if I can find a big enough piece to shove you in!"

I felt Tsume grab me from behind to prevent me from lunging at Cooper's spirit.

"Calm down Riley, you know you're not allowed to do that."

Like hell I wasn't. I'm a goddamn reaper I could do whatever I wanted with his soul and right now I wanted him cowering in fear. I would have said that out loud if Cooper hadn't opened his mouth again.

"So what now …I don't have to hang around with you and this twit do I?"

"You sick stupid fuc…" my rant was cut off by Tsume's hand.

"No your ride should be here any minute now…lets hope," He hissed out as I bit into his skin hoping to connect teeth with bone.

As if signaled by his words the bright white-blue light appeared and drew Cooper towards it. I felt sick that I let myself be soft and hadn't got my chance to get revenge against him, even worse that I had to watch his smug face as he was allowed into the one place I wasn't. He didn't leave quietly either.

"Hey Riley, It must suck not being able to follow me around anymore. Here's to not being able to get over me," He blew me a kiss and laughed as he disappeared.

Furious, I slammed my heel into Tsume's foot, grabbed his arm around my neck and used my upper body to shove him onto the ground. I resisted the urge to ram my foot onto his throat. And people say I have no self-control.

"What were you thinking? I could have done something to that prick, all I needed was to find a hand sized piece."

"It's not worth it Rie, he's gone…besides you don't want the guilt of that."

He was right I wouldn't have been able to do that, because as much as I complained about it I did actually like my job, I respected my work. That and looking back at the burning building I realized I'd have been lucky to find a whole tooth left over from the blast. Oh well.

"C'mon let's go," I said as I offered my hand to help Tsume up off the pavement.

"Where we going now?"

"Oh just to visit an old high school friend of mine," I replied with a grin.

"Riley, what's that look for? What are you thinking…is that a spoon?"

"Didn't I tell you? Cooper has a twin brother…and they both share the same winning personality."

Today's episode featured a scene in which the characters, Tsume and Riley, chose to try and 'fix or forget' a problem by the consumption of alcohol. The writer would like to state that she feel's in no way that drinking is a solution to any problem…unless you happen to be over the age of twenty-one, in which case this writer says cheers (AN – sorry 4 the AN, I know you hate these..but this episode thing was on my orig class paper and they thought it was spiffy so I kept it even if for the rest I didn't add episode titles of warnings for..ok go back to reading)

To say I was startled would have been a gross understatement, and yet as I felt my body enveloped by a strong surface in a flying tackle from behind, the word 'startled' came to mind. I managed a strained 'oomph' before my body was flattened face first onto the pavement. Luckily, or unluckily if I thought about it, my hands had taken most of the impact. The momentum of falling and a fraction of movement forward scraped the skin off the palms of my hands. Anger and shock ate away the pain as I struggled around to shove Tsume off me.

"What the fuck was that shit?" My voice was breathy. I had a second to wonder if it was from shock or the impact of the tackle before Tsume yelled back at me.

"The same as that ninja bullshit you pulled back there! Since when did you become Bruce Lee's long lost fucking daughter?"

We glared at each other, faces red in anger until we broke into what can only be described as insane hysterical laughter. The kind of laughter that comes at awkward moments and that can't be duplicated or explained with a third party.

We rolled on the sidewalk grasping at our sides as tears of humor rolled down our cheeks. Tsume was the first to calm down enough to roll onto his side and rest his head on his arm. I rolled onto my back gasping for air and felt relieved the tension and rage had drained away.

"Thank you for that," I turned my head to smile, "I don't know what happened to me back there."

Tsume smiled his perfect toothpaste ad smile and I felt my face go red. The knot that had gripped my stomach dissolved with that smile. I slid over to him and wrapped my free arm around his waist. I snuggled into his cool body letting myself breath in the scent of his body. When he spoke I was close enough to feel the rumble in his chest.

"That's what I love about you Rie, you act on your true emotions no matter what." I felt his arm wrap around me as he continued.

"I'm sorry you were hurt, especially by an asshole like that. But that's the beauty of death ya know, your life and it's…worries … stop."

He was trying to comfort, and it worked, but we both knew that that was a load of shit. Death didn't stop life; it didn't even slow it down. If anything thing it speed the process up. Just more proof that God really did exist, and he loved a good joke.

"People are starting to stare." I felt Tsume's voice rumble.

"Starting?" I snorted. We quickly helped each other off the ground and laughed as we stumbled away.

Back at the apartment I indulged myself to a half hour steaming shower. I had done the soap and lather deal that morning so I just stood under the pelting heat and let my mind wander. I was honest when I had told Tsume I didn't know what had come over me back there with Cooper. Sure he had hurt me, had made my life hell for almost two years, but that couldn't have been enough to make me to lose control like that. It shouldn't have been, and yet I had been willing to break the rules and put a soul back into a body, a piece of a body at that.

I felt my body shiver despite the heat. If Tsume hadn't held me back would I have really gone through with my threat? If I had what would that make me?

A vicious voice tore threw my mind 'monster'. I curled my fist and punched at the wall. "Dammit…stupid idiot," I wheezed as I shook my hand for no real purpose other than to shake the sharp pain away. Looking at the flawless tile in the spot I had hit I could only sneer. "Weak, pathetic idiot" I lifted my hand up close to my face to examine the damage. Shower wall 1, Riley, 0. I couldn't help the grimace as I saw the cracked skin on my knuckles; it was peeled back in various places and in its place bright red blood seeped out and trailed down my arm only to fall to the shower floor and swirl around the drain in nauseating pink. There was a small white shimmer that I realized with a start was bone.

I rolled my eyes and used my other hand to pull the water lever down. Stepping out of the shower I grabbed the closest extra large blue towel and wrapped it around my body. I bent down to grab some paper towels off the roll under the sink. I hopped up to sit on the sink counter. As I pressed the paper towels against my hand I watched the blood absorb into the paper. It was fascinating to watch the red seep up to the surface in Rorschach like patterns. I frowned when it stopped and tossed the blood soaked paper into the waste bin.

I stretched my abused hand out in front of me and opened and closed my fist to see how the skin moved against my exposed knuckles. I found I was disappointed at the lack of sound from the skin stretching back and forth, I had half expected to hear some sort of squishing. Around the fourteenth stretch of my hand the skin started to mend to itself back together. It was like water, seamless, perfect as it glided back into place as if nothing had happened leaving only dark dried blood in its place.

"I've really gotta stop doing that. One of these days I might just actually break the tile," I smirked.

I heard the music the second I stepped out of the bathroom. At first it was just the deep thump of a constant bass line but as I got closer to the bedroom I began to make out the other beats and the sound of someone singing along to it. I opened the door to see Tsume elegantly sprawled out on the queen sized bed singing along to the song. His voice was deeper than usual as he matched it to the lead singers. Had he been wearing more than his black jockey shorts I might have said the scene was comical, as it was I could only call it…damn sexy. The second I realized my thought I stomped over to the stereo and turned it off.

"Hey…oh Rie, you're out. Sorry didn't notice the water turned off," Tsume's brow lifted as he stared at me. "What's wrong don't like HIM?"

I shifted my footing and glanced to make sure my towel was still in place. "No of course not…I mean I love HIM, but it's not something I figured you to be listening to."

Tsume had slid off the bed and was at the dresser picking out clothes to wear. "Yeah, I guess I've never really given them a chance. But with the shower going it almost sounds like rain so I figured why mess up a chill scene with my music right? So I popped it in and I must say that lead singer got's some nice chops on him."

I hurried to collect my clothes as he talked. I didn't look up as I addressed him. "That's nice. Anyway, Cooper was the last name on the list so get ready, we're going to pick up our next assignment."

"Perfect. I've been dying to get us back behind the mic, I even have the perfect song picked out." I could hear the smile in his voice and didn't rise up to the bait by asking what song he was speaking of.

"Remember tonight's just business, I don't want you embarrassing me," I said as I exited the bedroom shutting the door to stop any retort Tsume had ready.

The Pub seemed like an interesting name for a bar the first time you heard it but after a while it just becomes silly and even annoying. I had been coming in and out of its doors for almost four years now and I was amused to see the annoying had finally dulled, somewhat. I guess after awhile the name, like the place, grows on you the way things do. When one day you realize you can't imagine your life without it.

I glanced behind me to see Tsume, he had dressed like we were going to a club, and I supposed we were, in an offbeat suburbia kind of way. Both of us tended to dress alike when going to The Pub, but tonight we were nearly opposite. I had stayed with the usual getup of wearing as much black as possible but had decided at the last minute to wear a skirt instead of pants. The skirt was long enough to be called a dress if you were picky about stuff like that. The material was soft and stretched almost like spandex but it kept its shape, the slits down the side that went from upper thigh to ankle gave the illusion of a full flowing dress from the front; from the side it was all leg. To satisfy myself into not feeling like I was over exposed I wore a simple black shirt with pseudo corset straps across the front and precut holes at the end of the sleeves for my thumbs. Tsume had chosen to wear his pants tight but went for jeans instead of the usually leather. With it he wore a snug yet loose three quarter sleeved cowboy shirt that was black with midnight blue flower embroidery down the front. The look was eerily normal for Tsume; in fact I didn't even know he owned clothes like that until today. He caught me staring and smiled that knowing smile that could either make me angry or strangely excited. I didn't stop my lips from curving to return the smile.

"What's the hold up Rie, aren't we in a hurry…. wouldn't want to be unprofessional and show up late to a meeting now would we?" The look in his eyes didn't match the smile. I didn't argue with him since I would have lost. He deserved that jab after the way I had reacted back in the apartment. It hurt to have him mad at me but I couldn't explain to him why I had reacted the way I had without making us both uncomfortable so I settled for just letting him keep his anger up. As long as my patience could hold out.

"When you're right you're right. Let's go. Tahlia's waiting." I opened the large wooden door and motioned Tsume forward. The look he gave me was less than friendly as he stormed past me muttering, "I just bet she is."

I didn't have time to register his remark as the door closed and submerged us into the vibrating and scratching sound that is The Pub.

I couldn't help it; I smiled wide showing all of my pearly whites. Not even my discomfort or hurt feelings could take away that first sensation I got when watching the tipsy to the holding-the-floor-for-comfort drunk patrons of the upscale karaoke bar. I never would have put 'upscale' and 'karaoke' in same sentence before I was introduced to the atmosphere at The Pub. It was a hole in the wall kind of place but the owner and manager had successfully made it one of the nicer bars to frequent in the big city. I knew both the owner and manager one more than the other and I always questioned to myself how those two got the money to bring this place up to the level it was.

After entering through two huge double doors you were welcomed into a misty darkness that managed to feel intriguing and even sensual, not creepy and chaotic the way the Goth bars down the way tended to be. The space was large even if you couldn't see it all from the entrance; the dim lighting over the secluded tables gave a street light illusion. There was a better lit bar off to the left side with a minimum of three bartenders at all times. The Pub was a popular place after the sun went down.

What made the The Pub different from any other bar in the area was the large overly neon lighted stage that was for one thing and one thing only: Karaoke. You can laugh but the lure of a good karaoke bar cannot be denied, just ask one of the fifty or so people laughing and singing along. After watching a trio of young college girls slur along to a Brittany Spears' song I felt the need to bounce a sarcastic remark off Tsume. Only when I turned he wasn't at my side. I tried not to jerk my head as I scanned the room. Damn, I couldn't see much of anything in the dark room.

I sighed and tried to collect my fading pride long enough to walk up and sit at the bar. I gave one last glance around before turning around. I needed a drink.

"Hey sexy thang, wanta tell Walt what's put that lost look in your pretty gray eyes?"

I rested my head on my hand as I look up at the bartender. Walter was around twenty-two and built like an athlete. He wasn't bulky, more like solid, well-defined muscles and long limbs. The Pub uniform of skin tight t-shirts the color of spring lilacs and tight black trousers looked nice on his naturally tanned skin. I wondered for a moment where he got his coloring before I thought why didn't I already know.

Walter had been working at The Pub for almost two years now. First as a waiter then as soon as he hit twenty-one he jumped on the bartender position. We knew each other enough to joke around and not worry about hurt feelings, but other than the surface details I didn't know much about him or his life.

Maybe I was more tired than I thought since my usual comeback was lost in a deep sigh. I had closed my eyes but opened them when I felt his warm hand pat the top of my head.

"Don't worry Riley, I won't push. I know! I've got just the drink you need. It's new, been working on it for awhile," he shrugged, "if anything it will make you forget about whatever it is that's got you down."

I managed a small smile. "Gee thanks Walt, you know how much I love being your guinea pig."

He grinned at that and I noticed how good-looking he really was. He had his shoulder length black hair pulled back into a tight dragon's tail so severely it looked painful but also added three years to his age. His eyes were a brown I usually called dark but with the warmth of the smile I swear they almost glowed like melted chocolate mixed with caramel. The smile and eyes gave him a soft touch you never saw with facial features as sharp and angular as his.

"Guinea pigs have no choice in the matter. You on the other hand are allowed to say no, so lets just call you…my assistant."

"Alright I can live with that," I smiled. "Make me a drink and lets see if I can live with that."

We shared a chuckle before he went to the other end of the bar to do his bartender stuff. The bartenders were all skilled in the showmanship of bartending; you know the tossing and spinning of bottles and what not. I loved watching them work but I had let them know not to do it close to me while sitting at the bar. It may look wicked cool but I was too paranoid of getting hit in the head with a full liquor bottle to enjoy a close up show. My body could heal quickly but not my pride after getting knocked out in a crowed bar by a flying liquor bottle. Lucky for me being friends with the tenders allowed me to request things like that, and the free drinking was a plus for knowing the manager. Ah connections, they're a beautiful thing.

I turned to face the stage while I waited for Walter and his new mystery drink. I hoped that this one wouldn't have the same effects of the last that had left me numb for a good hour. See Walter wasn't content to stay behind the bar the rest of his life, no he wanted to create his own line of drinks so he could sell a book and make loads of money. So being the awesome and gullible friend that I am I had allowed him to try out all his new mixes on me, even Tsume got to try a few when I threatened him anyway. Some were better than others but after a year I was beginning to think Walt made them just to mess with Tsume and me. I didn't know why just that I would bet money on it.

Bringing my attention back to the mic I was grateful to see the college trio had sat back down. A short guy I could only describe as soft was singing one of my favorite Incubus' songs: 'Summer Romance'. Usually I hated to hear songs I liked butchered by the public but this guy was actually able to sound decent enough to earn a clap from me as he finished.

A gentle clapping to my right caught my attention. I turned slightly to glance at the person only to see the manager of The Pub sitting elegantly on a tall bar stool. As usual my gaze started at the three inch back heels that looked more like weapons than shoes and traveled up a short preview of pale smooth skin that disappeared into the material of a long flowing dress. The material was a deep blue, it looked black but the flickering of lights in the area showed the glow of blue. It fit her body like water, as if someone had found a way to turn water into a material that could hug every curve and still flow free. Crossed legs showed off just how much of her height was in those long limbs. A slender waist led up to her generously sized breasts that threatened to leap from the v-cut dress. It was as if only the thin barely visible straps of the dress were the only things keeping them from showing, from jumping out of the dress and begging to be touched. I had to shake my head slightly to keep from staring. Talking would be good right now.

"Hey Tahlia, great dress I heard the slutty look was back in." The sneer didn't match my tone. The calmness of my voice startled me a little but I tried hard to keep her from noticing.

"Why Riley how nice it is to see you again, it really has been too long."

She had the grace, or nerve, to just smile pleasantly at me as if I really had given her a compliment. Her already blond hair had been bleached to a platinum white that curled around her body like a cloud. Her wide lips were a glossy pink that made them seem even wider and softer. Her pale skin looked even paler with her eyes circled in a deep midnight blue shadow. Blue was Tahlia's color and she knew how to make it work for her. It was what I had noticed about her the first time we met, her big blue eyes the color of the sky before it rains. They were once enough to make me forget that with rain you got a storm, that's what lay behind those perfect orbs of hers; the promise of one vicious storm.

"Bullshit. I was here Thursday like every other goddamn Thursday…and can the nice act, it's just you and me right now and you know I don't buy it." Not anymore, I added to myself. Tahlia kept her pleasant smile but for a second I could see something pass across that delicate face of hers that I couldn't place. I found that at the moment I wanted to ask her what she was thinking.

"Here you go, it's about the same as last time but I switched a few ingredients so hopefully the same thing wont happen, sorry again about that by the way," Walter said as he sat a bright blue drink in an gin glass in front of me. His smile faltered as he looked down at us. "I hope you girls are playing nice. I would hate to have to get in-between you and break up what is sure to be a beautiful cat fight."

I stared wide-eyed and Tahlia was first to get in a comment. "Don't worry Walter I have no intention of hurting our dear Riley, or starting a fight in my own place. I'm sure the same can be said for you?" She looked at me and I could only nod. "Great, now that that is settled why don't you get me a club soda? Oh and have it delivered to my table."

"Got it Boss," Walter looked between us not sure if leaving us together was that best idea. I didn't want him getting in trouble for trying to protect me from his boss so I nodded that I was ok with it.

I could read the irritation coming off Tahlia in waves as she eyed me before getting up and moving through the club to the management table. I picked up my drink and followed, I didn't give her the satisfaction of speeding up my steps just to match her long strides. My days of pleasing her were so far gone they were dead and buried.

The largest table in the place was in the far corner. It was able to sit about nine people if they didn't mind their personal space being invaded. Despite the distance from the stage you could still see it perfectly because of the nifty design of the rest of the tables that slanted off to one side enough to create a kind of walkway.

We sat at opposite sides of the table facing each other. Usually I kept the distance but I think tonight even Tahlia didn't want to be around me. I smirked at that; I was tired of always being the avoidant one and it was about time I wasn't the only girl that could throw a good hissy fit. Neither of us jumped at conversation and only stared vaguely towards the stage.

Listening to a guy screech out some eighties song I didn't notice the waitress come with Tahlia's drink. What was it with waiters; did they have to go to a special school to learn to walk that quietly? The sound of Tahlia clearing her throat did get my attention though and I was angry that she had that kind of affect on me.

"Where is Tsume?" Her tone was professional, no hint of any emotion. I tried to match the tone but I wasn't that good at masking my emotions.

"Here," I didn't bother lying but her face clearly showed she thought I had. "He's in here, somewhere I just don't happen to know where at the moment…he sort of ditched me at the door." I blushed and told myself Tsume was dead when I found him. I could have sworn I saw pity on her face before she went back to that damn hollow smile.

"Very well, just make sure he comes to talk to me sometime this week." I nodded, not sure why she would want to speak with him but knew she wouldn't continue without my acknowledgement. "Your partnership is still in effect. I tried to get you both solo duty but someone up there is determined to see you two stay together." Her face was less than happy at that and I wondered what had happened during that little business debate.

There was a time when I would have been angry about that news, but after almost three years I found I really liked working with Tsume. I resented the partnership for a long time, but now I just found I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. Just his presence made me feel calm, made me forget the rage I carried around with me…he made me feel normal again. I didn't tell Tahlia that, not even Tsume; I wasn't ready for admitting that aloud yet.

"All right."

"All right? What no argument, no debate over your reaping skills?" I couldn't tell if she was teasing or really shocked. I didn't really complain that much did I? I sighed and tried to answer her without sounding like a spoiled brat. What came out however was more of an honesty hiccup.

"Look Tahlia, I could argue with you, in fact I would have just a few days ago but I'm too tired now. I...I knew the last soul I took." Tahlia's face went from disbelieving to angry to blank in a matter of seconds so I didn't bother to stop. "I'm asking for your permission to see someone from my old life…I just need to see them."

"Why do I get the feeling if I say no you're still going to go see this person?"

"Please Tally, I need to do this." Maybe it was the please or the use of her old nickname, but she seemed to actually consider it. After a moment she looked back up at me with emotion in her eyes that could have been anything and nothing. I had stop trying to read her, or rather I suppose I lost the ability.

"You know I'm not the one to give you permission Riley." I don't know what showed on my face but it made her smile and reach out to put her cool hand on mine. "There was a time I would have asked why but that times gone isn't it? Yes. Go ahead, see this person of yours…I may not be able to give you what you need but I will take whatever blame comes our way for it."

"Thank you Tahlia." My smile might have been the first true smile towards her in four years. The thought left an empty pit in my stomach and I found myself pulling back my hand and grabbing my drink. The first sip hit my stomach like a rock and I cursed Walter under my breath.

Tahlia looked about to say something but my attention was drawn back to the stage when I heard a familiar song. I didn't know how I felt to see Tsume on stage but from the piercing look in his eye as he stared at me showed he was just this side of pissed.

_Accident, I promise you I did not mean to_

_Always the same, I'm just that kind that never learns_

I had heard Tsume sing before. We had been coming here together for three years it was bound to happen but even that aside Tsume loved to sing and loved the spotlight he got as well. He was always fawned over by the drunken boys and girls of The Pub. Tonight was the first however for my irritation of the loving look in his fans' eyes as they watched him sing and dance seductively on stage.

_Everything I touch breaks and turns to dust  
Everything I try to grow just decays_

I began to have one of those strange moments where you listen to a song and you begin to think it's about you. Even if it has nothing to do with you or any person for that matter, you still get that aha moment where it makes perfect sense to you. Listening and watching Tsume stare at me with dark eyes I had a very strong aha moment.

_I know that it's true  
I know it's not you  
I know that it's me and  
I don't envy you  
I just never learn_

My breath caught in my throat as he closed his eyes and turned in his body in a way that looked almost cat-like, as if he was able to bend his spine in the wrong direction. It was a seductive move and I began to wonder if the little display was for the near fainted college bimbo trio or me.

_Down the drain, I didn't mean to drag you with me  
Always the same, I'm just that kind that never learns_

My aha moment was slowly beginning to fade as I watched. He looked so angry and I couldn't for the life of me think of a reason why. He had stopped looking at me and was singing towards the crowd now. I was relieved and thought maybe it was just an act and not real.

I was relaxing back into my seat sure that I had misread his intentions sipping on my drink when he turned those dark green eyes back on me.

_I promise you I tried to be  
everything that you wanted me to be_

"My my, how things have changed around here. Well I can see I'm no longer needed. Here's the list…tell our angry young man to see me sometime and I'll see you both next Thursday."

I thought I heard Tahlia speak so I turned to look at her only to find her walking away. I glanced down at the table and a folded paper on the table.

"Shit," I said with feeling before downing my drink in one long gulp.

Everything was blurry and happening in flashes of time but I managed to make it to the toilet before I threw up. My whole body tensed as I emptied my stomach through my mouth. I looked down and giggled at the bright blue water. "Fuck…Walt." My world went blank as I cried either tears of laughter or grief, I didn't have the mental power to ponder which, as my body fell.

My body felt heavy and yet when I turned my head down I noticed I was off the ground. That couldn't be right I didn't think I was walking or using my legs. Another jerk of head and I saw my legs were also off the ground. What the hell?

"Shh, go back to sleep Rie I've got you."

I tried to stiffen up at the male voice but I was too exhausted and only managed to grumble. I let him carry me and lay me in fluffy warmth I could only think was a cloud. I hoped I wouldn't fall through clouds were tricky like that. I must have said that out loud since the guy answered me.

"Where do you…never mind, yes. Yes, this is a special cloud it will hold you, I promise."

I relaxed into the warmth of the cloud secure in the fact that it would hold my weight. I started spinning and began to cry. When a large cool hand slid across my face I leaned into the touch and kissed the palm. Suddenly I realized I didn't want to be alone, bad things happened when you were alone. I tried to reach out towards the man but my arms wouldn't move. Why wouldn't my arms move? I struggled and began to panic.

"Rie, stop it. Stop it, you're freaking me out, just lay still."

"I can't move my arms," I cried. I felt the tears slide hot and wet down my cheeks as he laughed. "It's not funny, help me."

"You're laying on your arms, that's why their not working…well that and you drank a lot."

Oh. Panic subsiding I felt tired again. My body was too heavy to move.

"Hold me so I don't fall through the cloud please?"

"I…look…shit, ok just go to sleep," he said as he lay next to me.

"Thanks"

"This doesn't change a damn thing Rie, I am still pissed at you," He whispered above me. Pissed? Something seemed entirely too unfair about this situation. I tried to fight the sleep off but it rolled over me like a soft warm wave and I was no longer able to think.

Waking up after a hard night of drinking is bitch. Your whole body is sore from staying in one position all night and it's so used to the warmth that a mere breeze can cause you to shiver.

I didn't feel a shiver, which prompted me to open my sleep-crusted eyes. Yeah, a deep solid sleep for more than nine hours is not pretty to witness. Good thing I didn't have to look at myself in the morning.

I had sat up and pulled the covers off me before it really dawned on me. When the hell did I get home? And better yet why was I in bed naked? Crap, well that's just great isn't it? What the hell did I do last night? Well I guess there was only one thing to do. I pulled the covers back over my body and yelled.

"Tsume. Tsume are you here?"

"Yes," he answered. His voice was distant. Either he was in the bathroom or the kitchen. The muffled tone could either be from brushing his teeth or chowing down on breakfast. My stomach growled loudly at that thought.

"Why the hell am I….naked?" I had been yelling but stopped when he stepped through the bedroom door. He was barefoot and still wearing the jeans from last night only they were far more wrinkled as if he had slept in them. He had thrown on a loose t-shirt that had at one time been a deep blue until it had been worn to repaint the apartment, now it was a wash of blue, green and white spots. His choppy black hair was undone and stuck out at sharp angles around his head, it looked almost like he had cat ears the way the hair stuck out like that. He grabbed the toothbrush out of his mouth after a second of silence as if just realizing it was there.

"I came home last night to find you passed out in the bathroom. You're lucky you didn't hurt yourself, knowing you you'd find a way to crack your head open on the sink counter." He almost sounded worried but the annoyance was quick to cover that up. "I know you don't like sleeping in your clothes so I uh, took them off." Maybe it was look on my face but his lecture seemed over when he blushed and apologized for stripping me. That was embarrassing but hell, it wasn't like he hadn't seen me naked before, plus he had done me a favor; I wasn't bitchy enough to argue with him over it.

"Thanks Tsume, sorry you had to put up with me, hope I didn't do anything too crazy," I emphasized 'crazy' by wiggling my hands on the sides of my head. It was a joke but Tsume's face had me wonder in a big way what had happened last night.

"It was nothing."

"Yeah. I don't get it though I just had two drinks. I know I can hold my liquor better than that." Then I thought about clouds, odd too be thinking about clouds in the morning. Oh, blue that's right. "Goddamn Walter…I have no idea what the hell he is doing with those drinks of his but they are killer."

"I can tell. Look just stay in bed if you need to, I'm going to go shopping for a few things we need."

"This sounds morbid even to me but that reminds me, Tahlia gave us the new list…it must still be with my clothes." Tsume fished out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket.

"Got it, no souls till later tonight so you can sleep all you want."

"Actually I have somewhere to be today…oh and before I forget Tahlia asked me to tell you to visit her sometime this week…whatever that's for."

"Where do you have to be?" There was an undertone to his voice that confused me. I had heard that tone before right before someone got mad and started yelling. I figured if he was going to be so quick to anger I might as well tell him the truth and get it over with.

"I'm going to see someone…I need to talk to them." Tsume stepped in closer to the bed making him appear larger than he really was. It irritated me to feel the headboard bump into my back so I straightened my back to sit up to my full height.

"Someone? And who is this someone Riley?"

"Cooper's brother." I glared up at him daring him to argue. Turns out I don't always want what I ask for.

"What the fuck? You didn't get enough of him yesterday that you have to go off and see what his fucking brother is up to now? Is that it Riley? God say something right now so I don't leave this room thinking you're that goddamn stupid!" He was clenching his fists at his sides. I was back up against the headboard again completely taken aback by his anger. He wasn't even yelling, it was just the heat of his words that had me leaning back as if his voice was too loud.

"No Tsume, not to see what he is 'up to'. I just need to talk to him," I sighed, "You wouldn't understand."

I made the mistake of looking down and Tsume took that as his chance to kneel on the bed and grab me by my shoulders. I bit my lip hard to keep the hiss from leaving my throat. Being a reaper allowed for quick healing but that didn't mean we didn't feel pain. His strong hands digging into my flesh hurt and that just made me as angry as him.

"You're right I don't fucking understand Riley. I don't understand why you are still clinging to your past. I don't understand why going to this guy is something you need to do."

"I can't explain it to you, I don't have the words. But I'm going to ask this once, just once before my patience flies right out that damn window. Let. Me. The. Fuck. Go. Right. Now!"

His grip lessened but his hands didn't move from my arms. His rage seemed to ease away but he was still far from calm as he looked at me.

"I thought you were still in love with Tahlia." Had I not been so upset I might have been more shocked at that, as it was I only looked at him, frowning. "But you're not are you? How could you have even loved her in the first place if you were still so hung up on the Cooper guy."

He had meant the last as a statement and I wanted nothing more than to punch him in that moment. But emotional stress brings your energy down far more than a hangover and I found I couldn't do more than keep from sobbing. I felt the tears in my eyes but didn't want to wipe them away with Tsume still so close.

"Get the fuck off me Tsume, I'm not going to ask again."

He looked into my eyes and I thought he would refuse. "You're pathetic. Living in the past with nothing but memories to comfort your lost soul…you don't even deserve pity." He nearly spat the last part as he got up off me and walked out the door without another word.

As I heard him leave through the front door I could not hold back the shaking as my body tensed for the sobs that made my throat burn. I knew I would have to get up soon but for a minute I thought I deserved at least this. Even pathetic creatures like me deserved to cry…even if we weren't I was taking mine. Fuck him.

I discovered that even the burning cleanse of a quick shower failed to remove any bad energy and my foul mood. I was taking the easy road and blaming it all on Tsume and his tantrum. I'll never understand men and their drama. That's probably why I ended up gravitating to women. They may be high maintenance but they were a hell of a lot less complicated; most of the time.

I had a drilling headache that had me squinting my eyes to keep them from popping out of my skull. After three cups of coffee I still felt the drag of exhaustion but I shoved it aside and got dressed.

Funny thing about headaches: they tend to have me dressing as shitty as I feel. As if I needed to advertise how bad I felt in what I wore. Still, even with this knowledge, I keep on doing it.

I left the apartment in sneakers, blue pajama pants with sheep jumping across them, oversized black sweatshirt, black sunglasses that blocked the sun from the sides as well as the front. To top it all off I'd tied my messy brown hair back and covered it with a hat that read 'TIME OF THE MONTH' in red block letters. Oh yeah, that's right, high fashion all the way for Riley.

The only things I brought with me were the traveler's coffee cup I had stolen from Tahlia awhile back and a paper with directions printed on it. Apparently Cooper and his brother Ian didn't like to be too far apart. I guess twins were like that. Ian's apartment was less than half an hour away from Cooper's old place. I had got the address off the Internet with just his name. Not only the address but also a lot of other information I hadn't been searching for popped up.

Turns out Ian had himself a short-lived marriage about three years ago. It looked liked they lived together for a little over a year before she filed for divorce. Interesting if not predictable. Ian had always been one of those guys that came off as extremely picky in his women, and he was, but once he liked a girl he fell fast and hard. Every girlfriend he had had when I knew him he had claimed to want to marry. Looks like he actually went through with it.

At the time I checked out the extra info because hey I need to make sure it's the right guy, right? Now I could admit that curiosity had gotten the better of me. It made me wonder if Tsume was right about me just wanting to see what he was up to. All I know for sure is that I feel this need to see him and until I do I might not understand why.

I wasn't too familiar with the area Ian lived in. I had been there a couple times on assignment and had noticed not much other than it had been a nice section of the city. It had to be I supposed since the college and business district were down there. Lucky for me it was too far away to walk so I got to flag down a taxi and have it navigate my way there.

Ok. So generally I am lazy, but the taxi ride was needed. Besides I felt like shit and didn't feel like shuffling my ass all around the city looking for this guy.

When the taxi driver dropped me off I thought he had the wrong place. After a rude suggestion to recheck my address he drove off. I don't think he liked me very much; maybe it was the hat. I took the cap off and shoved it into the sweatshirt pocket as I walked up the apartment building steps.

All the numbers were correct so I must have the right place but looking around I just felt confused. The place was nice. Like real nice, and clean and stuff. I guess I had been expecting the same crap hole I had found Cooper in. Maybe Ian had gotten the good end of the divorce settlement?

Not being of the brightest nature I didn't have a plan as I strolled up the apartment building steps. I located Ian's buzzer and pressed away. It wasn't until I heard the buzzing stop that I began to feel nervous. It was a creeping panic and my mind raced to think of why I was standing here. My heart pounded in my chest as the seconds ticked by with no reply from the other end of the intercom. So I jabbed at it again and again...then decided maybe I needed to hold the button longer.

Standing there in the silence after relieving the buzzer of my finger I felt numb and yet relieved. What would I have said if Ian had answered? Yeah Hi, I'm your brother's ex girlfriend who has happened to be dead for the last four years, and I was just wondering if you'd be so kind as to talk for a moment? That was sure to get Ian to magically let me up, and if he had let me up? What then? Would we have played catch up on old times like two best friends? Would I have confessed my secret life and been embraced and accept by him? That thought startled me. Since when did I plan on telling him anything other than I had known Cooper?

I didn't want to bring unwanted attention to myself but it took a lot to not crumple onto the ground. Instead I shuffled down and sat on the steps. I hadn't had a well thought out plan so after the buzzer failed to produce Ian I was out of ideas, and out of energy. I was risking so much just to see the brother of a guy I had dated years ago. I had known Ian, sure, even had some enlightening conversations with him from time to time, but we hadn't been friends, not by a long shot. In fact, after Cooper and I split, Ian had expressed even more hatred towards me than his brother.

At the time I had said it hadn't bothered me, after a while I was able to admit that his anger toward me had affected me far more than losing Cooper had been. No, it wasn't the same searing pain that Cooper's indifference caused me, it was something different, something dull and lingering that I hadn't noticed taking affect at the time. I was in shock when I noticed the deep hurt that I carried away with me. Ian and I hadn't been friends but I had respected him and even enjoyed having him around and for me not to know what I had done to create such a fierce emotion from him left me hallow. I didn't trust many people after that. How could I when such a simple relationship with someone had caused me such pain? I met Tahlia a year later and had my hesitation to trust confirmed yet again.

I was in my own world only vaguely paying attention to the reality around me when a blue cab stopped in front of the building. It was the soft masculine voice that brought me out of my musing and had me holding my breath in shock and what felt similar to fear. I glanced up to see the person who had spoken getting out of the cab and walking towards me. Then all rational thought took a flying leap out of my skull as I ran towards the man and threw myself onto him.

"Cooper, oh god," my voice wheezed as I clung to him. I couldn't believe my eyes when he walked out of the cab. Hard brown eyes set deep upon an angular yet soft face complimented by hair a rich brown that moved like silk. It was all I had allowed myself to take in before I leaped on his slender six foot one frame.

Words tumbled out of my mouth as I held on to him. I wasn't even consciously aware of half of the things I was saying. All I knew was that Cooper was alive and I hadn't taken the soul of the only guy I had loved.

And then my world came crashing down as the man I clung to shoved me away. I barely managed to keep from stumbling down the steps. Confused I looked up to meet his eyes and was met with narrowed cold brown eyes that were all too familiar. Only one person had ever looked down at me in such a manner, Ian. Too many emotions for my brain to handle at once brought tears to my eyes.

"Who the hell are you, you crazy bitch?" That soft tone Ian and Cooper had now was directed towards me with a chilling rage that struck like a knife. I had the fleeting thought that he recognized me, but I knew better than that. It looked like Ian had the ability to use that cold voice on anyone not just a sad pathetic girl that had her heart broken by his twin. That thought was enough to sober me and had me thinking somewhat more rationally, or as rational as a crazy bitch can get.

"I'm sorry I thought you were…someone else. My name is Riley. You must be Ian," I managed to keep my voice calm as I spoke and held out my hand. Ian ignored my outstretched hand so I let it fall back to my side.

"Maybe. Who wants to know?"

"I said my name is Riley. I knew your brother Cooper. I was at his apartment the other day before his barbeque." I watched as his eyes widened, caught out guard by the fact that I really did know his brother or that I had been there when he died. Something haunted crossed his eyes and I felt a knot form in my stomach. It had happened just yesterday but I guess news of a dead relative travels fast when their death is as explosive as Cooper's had been. Either that or twins really were connected in an unexplainable cosmic kind of way and Ian had actually felt Cooper leave. I had to hold my hands back from going to touch Ian again. The thought that one could feel their sibling passing was depressing and yet my morbid curiosity wanted to ask him if he had in deed felt the loss of his brother.

"You saw Cooper before…before he. How was he? I mean, Christ…was he ok?" Ian's anger had drained quicker than I thought possible at the mention of Cooper. I had never seen either of them express this kind of emotion. It was…awkward to witness it. All I could do was shrug and try to answer as best I could.

"He seemed happy to me. He was excited about the barbeque…I left before anything happened. I'm so sorry Ian, I wish things had happened differently, I never wanted Cooper dead." Great, no better time to feel the grief of Cooper's death than in front of his damn brother. I was crying and babbling and realized too late that I was saying more than I should.

"What things do you wish happened differently?" His tone was quiet and the words were spoken slowly as if he was talking before the thought in his mind had formed. Fear grabbed my rational self and took a run for it leaving me to get along on my own with honesty and grief. Those bastards…well I guess anger stayed too.

"Cooper didn't deserve to die like that…not like that, it was so awful. But it's my job, my life. I had to take him…but I didn't know he would die like that. I'm so sorry…I…I wanted him to suffer, to feel the way I did, but," Oh god, oh god. My mind was racing and yet something deep inside me felt like it shifted into place; a missing piece now found its home somewhere deep within me. I had wished Cooper's death. Not like I wanted to kill him or hire a killer but somewhere deep inside I had wanted him gone. Getting your deepest darkest wish to come true was truly freighting thing.

The realization left me cold. I was becoming less human with each passing reaping…and I finally reached a point where it bothered me less. I stood there in front of Ian, tears in our eyes and admitted to myself for the first time that I didn't truly feel sorry for having to take souls.

And just like that I felt some resemblance of calm come back into me, and I thought for a second if this is what it felt like to be insane. I was busy worrying about my sanity and missed the signals that Ian had reached his breaking point.

All I felt was him try to grab me and before he could touch me I reached out my hands and grabbed him by the shoulders. I realized too late that my grip had slipped and my hands went around his neck. I went to jerk my hands back but it was too late, Ian's soul was already out and standing directly in front of his now soulless body. Well shit.

"Oops…I didn't mean to do that," I was on the verge of laughing and tried desperately to suppress the budding hysterics. I knew I had done the very last thing I should have, but staring at Ian's soulless body drooling I couldn't find the energy or urge to freak out. It just seemed…funny. Too bad Ian the soul didn't feel the same way.

At first he had just stood there shaking in fear, I thought maybe he'd had pissed his pants if he still had a physical body. But he didn't so he just stood there staring at his body like it was a monster from a horror movie. I didn't blame him for that; I had felt the same way when I saw my body the first time. Granted my body hadn't been as flawless as his, mine had been a bloody fucking mess. I was grateful when Ian started screaming I didn't want to think back on that day.

"What the…is that me? Holy shit! What the hell did you do?" He was yelling so loud I had to back away to prevent the after ringing in my ears. I was the only one that was able to hear him so that was a relief at least. I didn't need to see an ass load of neighbors run out to witness this and get me in even more trouble.

"I uh, _accidentally _removed your soul from your physical body…but calm down its not like it hurt or anything, you're fine." I tried a weak smile but it seemed to only enrage him further.

"Un-fucking-do it! Right now, right now, right now…" He was right up in my face again and after the third 'right now' he lunged at me only to pass right through and fall onto the ground with a frightened look on his face.

I shivered half in annoyance and half in jitters. I hated it when souls did that it made me feel icky having another presence in me even for just that spilt second. It comes with the territory, dealing with souls and their…quirks, but I never got used to being able to connect on that level with another person. It was creepy and therefore pissed me off.

"Stop that! Don't try and touch me again or I'll leave you like this you prick!" I was satisfied with the terror that filled his usually cold brown eyes. If he was afraid of me he would be less likely to do something stupid. I sighed. "Look I'll return you to your body, I just need to talk to you ok. So can we bring this party upstairs and leave the neighborhood out of it?"

It seemed to dawn on him in the moment that neighbors might be able to help him. I had seen that look too many times not to notice it beforehand. "Look please don't start screaming, no one can see or hear you but me. Think of yourself as a ghost for the time being, and I'm the only Whoopie Goldberg around." At his blank face I felt irritated. "Yeah I know my jokes are lame but jeez that at least deserved a pity chuckle."

"Why do you want to talk to me I don't know you."

"Maybe you do maybe you don't, but I want to talk to you anyway so can you please help me out and get us into your apartment?"

With an exhausted and defeated nod of his head he agreed to help. He went to reach for his keys before he remembered the fact he wasn't in his body anymore. He growled in annoyance and I just stared. I didn't know people could really growl. I had to stop myself from asking him to do it again.

"Left pocket?" I asked trying to derail my thought before they took off in a direction I wasn't willing to go. Ian nodded and I went to his physical body and reached in to grab the keys.

"Don't try any thing funny"

"Trust me when I say you're not my type. Now just shut up and direct me to your apartment ok"

"What about me…I mean it," He shifted his weight in the direction of his body. He wasn't the only soul to ever call their body and 'it', its just something about not being in your body that makes you feel it doesn't belong to you anymore.

"I got it," I grumbled as I managed to carry Ian's body firefighter style up the steps. Ian's apartment was number 317, three sets of thirty-two agonizing steps up. I was a reaper of souls. Souls are weightless, so I didn't have any super strength. All I got in the supernatural department was super fast healing and I assumed a longer that average life span, which when compared to other super things kind of sucked the big one. All it gave me was the perfect labor ready body for collecting souls…jeez even in death my life blows.

Once I got through the apartment door I enough energy left to watch as Ian's body fell and crumpled onto the hardwood floor of the hallway.

"Hey watch it Bitch! I need that you know," Ian's voice hissed out as I used my foot to shove his body away from the door enough so I could close it. It made me feel better hearing him angry, but I was still too exhausted to gloat.

"Do you have anything to drink?" I asked as I walked down the short hallway in search for the kitchen. The hallway broke off into a living room/dinning area/kitchen. It was a large space but I didn't bothering looking, just made my beeline towards the fridge.

The nice surroundings still didn't hide the fact that a bachelor lived here. The fridge was stocked full of nothing but beer and random condiments. I wondered if Tsume would live like this if he didn't have me as a roommate. I didn't think so; in fact, I think that it would be me that would even up living more like a slob than Tsume. He was a neat freak when it came down to it. Not that he folded his underwear or anything bizarre like that but he did keep everything in order, even his CDs were in release date order.

"I'm not sure I like the fact that you're smiling like that"

"Don't worry about a smile…it's the evil laughter that you should look out for" I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and popped the top off on the counter. I turned to face Ian and saluted him with the opened beer. I drank fast since I didn't like the taste of beer. I only needed a little alcohol in my system to fight off the hangover and fried nerves. I must have stayed quite longer than I thought because Ian had begun to fidget. He kept trying to poke himself and failing. I watched as he poked then frowned, poke, frown, poke, frown, poke, frown. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Stop it already! You know if you get to use to this form I wont be able to return you to your body." That of course was a complete lie but it worked. Ian immediately straightened trying to keep his arms from touching his torso and faced me with a look of horror. I couldn't help but giggle at the childlike behavior from a guy I used to be afraid of.

"Ok so here's the deal," I didn't know how to phrase it so I stopped. I starred into the beer bottle somehow hoping to find the words in there but like always it fell short. "I'm the Grim Reaper."

"What? Am I dead? You never said anything about me being dead." Ian's voice raised a notch or two with each word until he ended on a pitch higher than even I could reach.

"Ok lets try this a different way. I'm a reaper but there are thousands of us, so I'm not here to take your soul. I just came here to talk. You being like this," I waved at him floating an inch over the ground," is an accident. I swear I didn't mean to do it. Hell, I'm not even allowed to do it…I'm probably going to get real shit for this." I leaned my head hard against the bottle.

When I looked up again Ian seemed to have relaxed and had discovered that he could sit nicely in the air without falling and was trying out different sitting positions. He seemed to settle on crossed legs maybe he thought if he fell from that height it would hurt less that way.

"I still don't understand why you're so interested in me, I don't even know you."

"I'm not allowed to tell you who I am," I laughed and Ian visibly tensed. "No, that's not the laughter to worry about. It's just I realized how lame that sounds. I've already broken every rule I can think of. Might as well tell you who the fuck I am right?" Ian only nodded. I think he was still a little scared of me.

"I want you to look at me when I tell you this. I know I look different but its only small changes really, I guess I was too used to my old body to exchange it for a completely different one. You may not remember but we went to high school together. I dated Cooper for a short period before he got bored with me. You once told me that your girlfriend had a crush on me…" And then the light in his head turned on with a pop.

"Riley! Jesus…This is too fucking weird." He took a deep breath. Then he did what most people do in a situation to out there to follow: they seem to accept that everything bizarre in the world is normal. I bet I could have told him aliens really did exist and he would have believed me. "How does a crazy chick become the Grim fucking Reaper?"

"A reaper, not the. It's a job, like…like a postal service employee. Yeah! I take souls, like mail, and make sure it goes where its suppose to. Its kind of one of those jobs you just sort of fall into."

"Fall into?"

"Yeah well you die and some bastard tells you that heaven is on hold while you do some goddamn collection service for God! Or whatever. Truth is they don't tell us what happens after, which is just another twist of the knife."

"Where do you take the mail…I mean the souls then if not heaven or hell?"

"I don't take them anywhere really, I just make sure they're out of the body before it expires…trust me that it's an important job. After that the soul just has to accept that its you know bodiless and then some cosmic taxi comes and whisks them away to…wherever."

"Wow"

"Exactly"

"As interesting as this has been it still doesn't explain why you're here bothering me."

"I was the reaper that was sent to collect Coopers soul before the explosion." Before I could say anything Ian cut me off. "You bitch! You killed my brother because he dumped you back in high school?"

"Oh please. I didn't kill him. I did my job, he was going to die either way, so don't blame me." I was too tired of being angry so my voice came out relatively quiet. Besides all he could do was yell it wasn't like he could hit me. Plus I felt sorry for him losing his brother like that, maybe I did feel a little more guilt about that then I should have. "You know we're not allowed to take the souls of people we once knew… we can even visit them while alive…yet somehow Cooper managed to get his ass on my list. And the twisted part of the whole thing was I almost enjoyed it."

"You did all this just to come here and tell me you enjoyed it? Damn you really are as fucked as I told Cooper you were back in high school." He had hovered close to the kitchen table and I was able to see his face better at this angle. He had burned through most of his anger too and had a tired look in his eyes that I had put there. I found myself back at my original question: What the hell was I doing here?

"I knew you never liked me, you bastard. I should just be honest with you and tell you I don't know exactly why I'm here…my best guess is because you're the best I've got." He raised his left eyebrow instead of asking it aloud. " I really did love Coop, he was amazing," I paused to try and keep the tears in my eyes from falling down my cheeks, "I went through hell after he dumped me, I didn't know what to do if I wasn't there to love him. So I guess I hated him for a long time too. When I saw him that day, at his apartment, I was knocked back with the rage I thought I had gotten past. I threaten him and I wanted to hurt him. Christ I wanted to hurt a guy that was already dead! Shit. I'm sorry Cooper." I felt one stray tear fall and I wiped it away with my hand curled into a fist.

We were silent for a long time neither of us looking at the other before Ian finally spoke again. "You came here for me to forgive you?" I looked up eyes wide. Had he really figured that out all by himself? "If you're right about it not being your fault that Cooper had to die then what am I suppose to forgive you for?" I expected anger not the thoughtful and serious expression I was seeing now.

"I'm sorry I couldn't love him the way he needed to be…I wasn't enough. I..I wanted to make his life, I wanted to make him happy and I couldn't. Ian was he happy after I left, did I make him unhappy?" Sometimes I really hated being a girl it was like being striped of any rational thinking.

"I didn't know Cooper that well. Fuck…we were brothers; my goddamn twin but I never got that close to him. We were both too busy with our own lives to care too deeply about one another. But I really do think he was happy in his own way…if it was because of you or not I cant say."

And that was it. Neither of had any clue about Cooper and his emotional state. I suppose both of us would live with that guilt of not getting through to Cooper, Ian more so than me. I wouldn't find the forgiveness I wanted from Ian, or him from me. But I did feel better about having talked about it with someone who understood, who knew Cooper. I hoped Ian felt the same. I still didn't like him any better but I felt a connection with him through Coop and that was enough for me not to hate him anymore.

"C'mon, I need to put you back in your body." We didn't talk, each in our own little worlds as we walked back to the front door. It was simple enough to put a soul back, just absorb the soul into my body and touch the empty body and tada. Ian now back in his body stayed lying on the floor for a moment. After he finally got up he wobbled a bit and I had to grab his arm until he could steady himself. I was surprised he didn't refuse my help. Once he was steady I headed for the door.

"I want to pretend this never happened," Ian's voice was soft and I had to stop moving to be able to hear. "There is going to be a funeral service for Cooper on Saturday. If you wanted to show up I wouldn't stop you, " I looked at him, his face torn between grief and something else, "But after that I never want to see you again."

"That works for me." I looked at the ground not wanting to see that hurt look on Ian's face anymore. I didn't bother to tell him to not mention this to anyone, I was sure that he would do his best to forget it ever happened. "Thank you Ian." I left quickly not wanting to bother Ian further and I felt my heart tighten as the sound of Ian's crying drifted through the closed door.

AN - likey? Well there is still more to come even if you didn't..


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